Image reading apparatus for reducing start-up time

ABSTRACT

An image reading apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a reading unit, a carriage, a motor, a motor gear, a conveyance gear, a carriage gear, and a control device. The conveyance unit is configured to convey a document. The reading unit is configured to read an image on the document. The carriage is configured to support the reading unit and to be movable in a prescribed direction. The reading unit is selectively operable in a first mode in which the image on the document is read while conveying the document by the conveyance unit, and a second mode in which the image on the document is read by moving the reading unit in the prescribed direction. The switching gear is configured to be placed in a first position and a second position. The control device is configured to control the switching gear to move between the first position and the second position, acquire initialization data initializing the reading unit, and control the reading unit to read the image on the document. The control device acquires the initialization data while controlling the switching gear to move between the first position and the second position.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/151,939 filed Jan. 10, 2014 which claims priority from JapanesePatent Application No. 2013-003726 filed on Jan. 11, 2013. The entirecontents of the priority applications are incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus.

BACKGROUND

An image reading apparatus described in Japanese Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2006-86817 is well-known in the art. The conventionalimage reading apparatus includes a reading unit such as a CIS forreading a document, a conveyance unit for conveying a document to thereading unit, a carriage for moving the reading unit, a single motor fordriving the moving unit and the conveyance unit, and a switching gearserving as a transmission unit for transmitting drive power of themotor. The switching gear switches its position between a conveyanceposition at which the transmission unit transmits the power to theconveyance unit and a carriage position at which the transmission unittransmits the power to the moving unit, whereby the conveyance unit andthe moving unit can be driven by a single motor.

SUMMARY

The image reading apparatus executes upon activation the switchingprocess for switching the position of the switching gear between theconveyance position and the carriage position, and acquisition processfor acquiring initialization data required to initialize the readingunit. However, if the image reading apparatus separately performs theswitching process and the acquisition process, a longer start-up time isdisadvantageously required to start reading process for reading adocument image. That is, the image reading apparatus performs theswitching process after the acquisition process is ended, requiring thelonger start-up time.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention toprovide an image reading apparatus capable of reducing a start-up timerequired to start the reading process in a configuration in which theposition of the switching gear is switched between the conveyanceposition and the carriage position even if the acquisition process foracquiring the initialization data is performed.

In order to attain the above and other objects, the invention providesan image reading apparatus. The image reading apparatus includes aconveyance unit, a reading unit, a carriage, a motor, a motor gear, aconveyance gear, a carriage gear, a switching gear, and a controldevice. The conveyance unit is configured to convey a document. Thereading unit is configured to read an image on the document. Thecarriage is configured to support the reading unit and to be movable ina prescribed direction. The reading unit is selectively operable in afirst mode in which the image on the document is read while conveyingthe document by the conveyance unit, and a second mode in which theimage on the document is read by moving the reading unit in theprescribed direction. The motor gear is configured to transmit a drivepower generated by the motor. The conveyance gear is configured totransmit the drive power to the conveyance unit in the first mode. Thecarriage gear is configured to transmit the drive power to the carriagein the second mode. The switching gear is configured to be placed in afirst position, when the reading unit operates the first mode, where themotor gear is connected to the conveyance gear via the switching gear,and be placed in a second position, when the reading unit operates inthe second mode, where the motor gear is connected to the carriage gearvia the switching gear. The control device is configured to control theswitching gear to move between the first position and the secondposition, acquire initialization data initializing the reading unit; andcontrol the reading unit to read the image on the document. The controldevice acquires the initialization data while controlling the switchinggear to move between the first position and the second position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as otherobjects will become apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an image reading apparatus ina state where a document cover is closed according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image reading apparatus ina state where the document cover is open according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the imagereading apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a drive transmission mechanism of theimage reading apparatus in a state where a planetary gear is positionedat a carriage position according to the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the drive transmission mechanism in astate where a planetary gear is positioned at a conveyance position tothe preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an electric configuration of theimage reading apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a pre-reading process of the imagereading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a pre-reading process of an imagereading apparatus according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a dust determination processaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a pre-reading process according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with referenceto FIGS. 1 to 10.

1. External Configuration of Image Reading Apparatus

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, an image reading apparatus 1 includes areading unit 7, a carriage 8, a moving mechanism 9 for conveying thecarriage 8, an Auto Document Feeder 40 (hereinafter abbreviated to“ADF”), and a document platen 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the image readingapparatus 1 has a front side portion provided with an operation unit 11having a read start key 11A and a power key 11B, and a display unit 12such as a liquid crystal display.

The image reading apparatus 1 has, as an image reading mode, acarriage-moving mode (hereinafter, referred to as “FB (Flat-Bed) readingmode”) in which the reading unit 7 reads an image of a document conveyedby the carriage 8 and a sheet-conveying mode (hereinafter, referred toas “ADF reading mode”) in which the reading unit 7 reads an image of adocument conveyed by a conveyance unit 44 (see FIG. 3) of the ADF 40.The image reading apparatus 1 may be a stand-alone scanner or copier, ora part of so-called a multifunctional device having printer andfacsimile functions.

As shown in FIG. 2, the document platen 3 has a platen 3B such as aglass or acrylic transparent as a first reading window. The platen 3Bdefines a placement surface 3A on which a document is placed. A documentcover (example of a cover) 5 is assembled immediately above the documentplaten 3 via a hinge mechanism 5A.

The document cover 5 is pivotally movable between a closed position(FIG. 1) covering the document platen 3 and a remote position (FIG. 2)away from the document platen 3. In the FB reading mode, a user needs tomanually move the document cover 5 upward and place a document on theplacement surface 3A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image reading apparatus 1 further includes adrive transmission mechanism 13 and a load generation unit 25. The loadgeneration unit 25 includes a pair of first contacted portions 25Aprovided in the reading unit 7 and a pair of first stoppers 25B providedin the document platen 3 each corresponding to the pair of firstcontacted portions 25A.

The reading unit 7 moving along the placement surface 3A is providedimmediately below the placement surface 3A (see FIG. 3). The readingunit 7 emits the light to a document and receives emitted lightreflected from the document and generates an electric signal based onthe received light. The image reading apparatus 1 converts charactersand the like written on the document into the electric signal generatedin the reading unit 7.

The reading unit 7 is adapted to read the document with a CIS (ContactImage Sensor) system. The reading unit 7 includes a linear image sensor7C having a plurality of light receiving elements, a light source 7Aconstituted by RGB three-color light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a rodlens array 7B that focuses light reflected from the document onto thelight receiving elements of the linear image sensor 7C, and those arelinearly arranged in a direction perpendicular to a paper surface, i.e.front-to-rear direction.

The carriage 8 for supporting the reading unit 7 is coupled to a toothedbelt 9A described later and moves in a conveyance direction, i.e., anarrow A and arrow B as depicted in FIG. 3, with movement of the toothedbelt 9A. The toothed belt 9A is driven by a drive power transmissionmechanism to be described later through a toothed pulley 9B (see FIG.4). The image reading system of the reading unit 7 is not limited to theCIS system, and the reading unit 7 may adopt so-called a CCD systemusing an optical reduction system and a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device)image sensor.

When reading the document placed on the platen 3B, that is, in the FBreading mode, the reading unit 7 reads the document while beingconveyed, at a constant speed, by the carriage 8 coupled to the toothedbelt 9A in the conveyance direction (direction of the arrow A of FIG. 3)parallel to a plate surface of the platen 3B from a waiting position WP.The reading unit 7 can read the document within a read range in theconveyance direction defined between a read start position PS and a readend position PE (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, the read startposition PS is fixed irrespective of a read range of the document, andthe read end position PE is changed according to the read range of thedocument.

On the other hand, when reading the document conveyed by the ADF 40,that is, in the ADF reading mode, the image reading unit 7 reads thedocument while being retained, by the carriage 8, at a conveyancereading position (hereinafter, referred to as “ADF reading position”) RPimmediately below a second reading window 3C.

As shown in FIG. 3, a document pressing member 46 is provided at aposition immediately above the second reading window 3C, i.e., at aposition opposite to the reading unit 7 positioned at the ADF readingposition RP with respect to the second reading window 3C. The documentpressing member 46 is adapted to push the document during the ADFreading mode. The reading unit 7 is positioned at the ADF readingposition RP and reads the document pressing member 46 in the absence ofthe document. In the present embodiment, the document pressing member 46has a confronting surface in confrontation with reading unit 7 andprovided with a white reference board (example of reading white board)46A.

The moving mechanism 9 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a first and secondtoothed pulleys 9B (see FIG. 4) and 9C which are fixed to the documentplaten 3 and the toothed belt 9A looped around the first and secondtoothed pulleys 9B and 9C. The toothed belt 9A moves upon the rotationof the first toothed pulley 9B. The carriage 8 is connected to thetoothed belt 9A, thereby moving depending on a moving direction of thetoothed belt 9A.

The second reading window 3C (example of a transparent member) is alsoclosed by a transparent platen such as a glass similarly to the firstreading window, i.e., placement surface 3A. As shown in FIG. 3, theplacement surface 3A and the second reading window 3C are separated by abeam-like partitioning member 3D, and the second reading window 3C isprovided between the partitioning member 3D and a left end portion 3E ofthe document platen 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the partitioning member 3D has an adjustmentreference board 55. The adjustment reference board 55 is provided forreadjusting reference of color and shading at a reading process forreading the document by the reading unit 7 and a reference position ofthe reading unit 7.

The adjustment reference board 55 includes a white tape 55A and a blacktape 55B arranged in a sub-scan direction (left-right direction of FIG.3). In the present embodiment, the waiting position WP is a positioncorresponding to the white tape 55A in the left-right direction of FIG.3. The waiting position WP is a position where the reading unit 7 staysduring a non-execution of the reading mode. Further, the waitingposition WP is a reference position for the reading unit 7 to performscanning operation. Further, when the reading unit 7 stays at thewaiting position WP and reads the white tape 55A, the reading unit 7 canacquire white data used for correction of light amount adjustment dataof the light source 7A and a read data created in the reading process.

As shown in FIG. 3, the white tape 55A (example of moving white board)is provided on a moving path along which the carriage 8 is moved fromthe waiting position WP to the ADF reading position RP. Specifically,the white tape 55A is located at a position on an upstream of the secondreading window 3C in the moving path so as to contact a left edge BP ofthe second reading window 3C. Further, the white tape 55A is provided atthe same side as a surface of the second reading window 3C in contactwith the document (that is, in FIG. 3, a lower surface of the secondreading window 3C). A width of the white tape 55A, that is, a length ofthe white tape 55A in the conveyance direction is not limited to thatillustrated in FIG. 3. For example, an end portion of the white tape 55Amay be away from the edge BP of the second reading window 3C.

As shown in FIG. 3, the document cover 5 is provided with the ADF 40.The ADF 40 includes a conveyance path 4, an ADF cover 41, a documenttray 42, a supply roller 44A, conveyor rollers 44B and 44C, a dischargeroller 44D, and a discharge tray 43 utilizing a top surface of thedocument cover 5. Further, a plurality of driven rollers 45 is providedopposite to the conveyor roller 44C and the discharge roller 44D.

Further provided are a front sensor 47, such as a photosensor, fordetecting the document set on the document tray 42 and a rear sensor(example of a document sensor) 48, such as a photosensor, for detectingthe document to be conveyed by the conveyor rollers 44B and 44C.

In the conveyance path 4, the rear sensor 48 is provided on an upstreamof the reading unit 7 in a document conveyance direction. The supplyroller 44A, the conveyor rollers 44B, 44C, and the discharge roller 44Deach correspond to an example of a conveyance unit 44 for conveying thedocument. In the ADF 40, the conveyance unit 44 conveys the documentsset on the document tray 42 one by one and discharges the conveyeddocument to the discharge tray 43.

2. Drive Power Transmission Mechanism 2-1. Configuration of Drive PowerTransmission Mechanism

In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 9 and the conveyanceunit 44 are driven by a single motor 31. That is, the drive transmissionmechanism 13 selectively transmits drive power, i.e., a motor torque,generated in the motor 31 to the moving mechanism 9 and the conveyanceunit 44.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive transmission mechanism 13 according to thepresent embodiment includes: a planetary gear mechanism having a sungear (example of a motor gear) 15, a planetary gear (example of aswitching gear) 17, and an engagement portion 19; a carriage gear(hereinafter, referred to as “FB side transmission gear”) 21; and aconveyance gear (hereinafter, referred to as “ADF side transmissiongear”) 23.

The sun gear 15 transmits the power supplied from the motor 31 (see FIG.6) to the planetary gear 17 and rotates without a displacement relativeto the platen 3. The sun gear 15 rotates by obtaining drive power fromthe motor 31. In the present embodiment, a rotation direction of themotor 31 and that of the sun gear 15 coincide with each other, and thusthe sun gear 15 rotates in a normal rotation direction and a reverserotation direction in accordance with the rotation direction of themotor 31.

In the FB reading mode, the FB side transmission gear (example of acarriage gear) 21 transmits the power from the motor 31 to the carriage8. On the other hand, in the ADF reading mode, the ADF side transmissiongear (example of a conveyance gear) 23 transmits the power from themotor 31 to the conveyance unit 44.

The planetary gear 17 switches its position as follows. That is, in theADF reading mode, the planetary gear 17 is meshingly engaged with theADF side transmission gear 23 at a conveyance position (hereinafter,referred to as “ADF position”) so as to connect the sun gear 15 with theADF side transmission gear 23 in FIG. 5; while, in the FB reading mode,the planetary gear 17 is meshingly engaged with the FB side transmissiongear 21 at a carriage position (hereinafter, referred to as “FBposition”) so as to connect the sun gear 15 with the FB sidetransmission gear 21 in FIG. 4. Further, the planetary gear 17 canrotate about a center thereof while being engaged with the sun gear 15and revolve between the FB position illustrated in FIG. 4 and the ADFposition illustrated in FIG. 5 about the sun gear 15 as a revolutioncenter.

When the sun gear 15 rotates, the planetary gear 17 is applied with arotation force for rotating the planetary gear 17 and a revolution forcefor revolving the planetary gear 17. Thus, when the sun gear 15 rotatesin the normal direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 4), the planetarygear 17 is applied with a revolution force directed from the ADFposition to FB the position (i.e., clockwise direction in FIG. 4).

On the other hand, when the sun gear rotates in the reverse direction(counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4), the planetary gear 17 is appliedwith a revolution force directed from the FB position to ADF position(i.e., counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4). When the revolution forcebecomes larger, the planetary gear 17 revolves in the direction of therevolution force. While the revolution force is small, the planetarygear 17 rotates without the revolution.

When the sun gear 15 rotates in the normal direction, the planetary gear17 rotates in a normal rotation direction. Similarly, when the sun gear15 rotates in the reverse direction, the planetary gear 17 rotates in areverse rotation direction. The normal rotation direction of theplanetary gear 17 and the normal direction of the sun gear 15 areopposed to each other, and the reverse rotation direction of theplanetary gear 17 and the reverse direction of the sun gear 15 areopposed to each other, respectively.

The planetary gear 17 is supported on an arm 18 so as to be rotatableand revolvable. The arm 18 has one end in an extending direction thereofrotatably supported coaxially on the sun gear 15 and the other end wherethe planetary gear 17 is rotatably assembled.

The document platen 3 has a second stopper 3H and a third stopper 3Jeach restricting excessive rotation of the arm 18. On the other hand,the arm 18 has a second contacted portion 18A in contact with the secondstopper 3H and a third contacted portion 18B in contact with the thirdstopper 3J.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the planetary gear 17 is positioned at the FBposition, the second stopper 3H is in contact with the second contactedportion 18A to restrict further clockwise rotation of the arm 18.Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the planetary gear 17 is positioned atthe ADF position. the third stopper 3J is in contact with the thirdcontacted portion 18B to restrict further counterclockwise rotation ofthe arm 18.

A first spring 16 is provided for urging the arm 18 so as to prevent therevolving of the planetary gear 17 when the planetary gear 17 ispositioned at the FB position or the ADF position. More specifically, inthe FB reading mode, the first spring 16 prevents the planetary gear 17from being separated from the FB side transmission gear 21 while the sungear 15 rotates in the reverse direction. That is, the first spring 16applies to the planetary gear 17 a first inhibiting force preventing theplanetary gear 17 from revolving toward the ADF position at least whenthe planetary gear 17 is positioned at the FB position.

The first spring 16 used in the present embodiment is an extension coilspring. The first spring 16 has a one end in an extension directionthereof connected to one side of the arm 18 opposite to the planetarygear 17 with respect to a swing center of the arm 18 and the other endconnected to the document platen 3.

Thus, the first spring 16 applies to the arm 18 a second inhibitingforce preventing the planetary gear 17 from revolving toward the FBposition when the planetary gear 17 is positioned at the ADF position.

As described later, in a state where the planetary gear 17 is positionedat the ADF position, a drive force is transmitted to the conveyance unit44, and the sun gear 15 is rotating in the reverse direction. While thesun gear 15 rotates in the reverse direction, the planetary gear 17 isapplied with a force for revolving from the FB position to the ADFposition.

Thus, in the present embodiment, even if the second inhibiting force isabsent, the planetary gear 17 stays at the ADF position at least whilethe drive force is transmitted to the conveyance unit 44, that is, whilethe sun gear 15 rotates in the reverse direction.

In view of the above, in the present embodiment, the first inhibitingforce for preventing the revolution of the planetary gear 17 at the FBposition due is made larger than the second inhibiting force forpreventing the revolution of the planetary gear 17 at the ADF position.

Specifically, the one end and the other end each of the first spring 16are located such that a deformation amount of the first spring 16 whenthe planetary gear 17 is positioned at the FB position (FIG. 4) islarger than that of the first spring 16 when the planetary gear 17 ispositioned at the ADF position (FIG. 5).

The engagement portion 19 is meshingly engaged with the planetary gear17 while the planetary gear 17 revolves between the FB position and theADF position. In the present embodiment, the engagement portion 19 isconstituted by an internally-toothed gear.

As shown in FIG. 4, the engagement portion 19 is provided with aplurality of projections 19A projecting toward the sun gear 15, and theprojections 19A are arranged along a revolution path of the planetarygear 17.

The engagement portion 19 is assembled to the document platen 3 so as tobe movable relative to the sun gear 15. Specifically, in the presentembodiment, the engagement portion 19 is movable along the revolutionpath of the planetary gear 17 about the sun gear 15. A second spring 19Bfor urging the engagement portion 19 to an original position thereof isprovided.

The ADF side transmission gear 23 is provided on the hinge mechanism 5Aside relative to the FB side transmission gear 21 in a directionparallel to the placement surface 3A and perpendicular to the movingdirection of the reading unit 7 (i.e., front-to-rear direction in thepresent embodiment). Further, the ADF side transmission gear 23 is agear rotating only in one direction. Thus, the ADF side transmissiongear 23 has a mechanism that allows rotation in an X-direction(counterclockwise direction in FIG. 5) by which the conveyance unit 44conveys the document and prevents rotation in a direction reverse to theX-direction. For example, as the mechanism for preventing the reverserotation, a known reverse rotation preventing claw (not shown) can beemployed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the FB side transmission gear 21 isprovided at a position opposed to the ADF side transmission gear 23 withrespect to the sun gear 15. The sun gear 15, the planetary gear 17, theFB side transmission gear 21, and the ADF side transmission gear 23respectively have a rotational axis orthogonal to the placement surface3A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the FB side transmission gear 21 ismeshingly engaged with the planetary gear 17 when the planetary gear 17is positioned at the FB position. Thus, when the planetary gear 17 ispositioned at the FB position, the drive power is transmitted from thesun gear 15 to the FB side transmission gear 21 through the planetarygear 17. Then, the FB side transmission gear 21 drives the first toothedpulley 9B to thereby activate the moving mechanism 9.

When the sun gear 15 rotates in the normal direction, the movingmechanism 9 moves the carriage 8, i.e., the reading unit 7 in thedirection of the arrow A of FIG. 3, while when the sun gear 15 rotatesin the reverse direction, the moving mechanism 9 moves the carriage 8,i.e., the reading unit 7 in the direction of the arrow B of FIG. 3. Thatis, the moving direction of the reading unit 7 is determined dependingon the rotational direction of the sun gear 15.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ADF side transmission gear 23 is meshinglyengaged with the planetary gear 17 when the planetary gear 17 ispositioned at the ADF position. Thus, when the planetary gear 17 ispositioned at the ADF position, the drive power is transmitted from thesun gear 15, through the planetary gear 17, to the ADF side transmissiongear 23 to thereby activate the conveyance unit 44.

As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the load generation unit 25 is providedfor increasing a rotational resistance of the FB side transmission gear21. The load generation unit 25 increases the rotational resistance ofthe FB side transmission gear 21 when the carriage 8, i.e., the readingunit 7 is positioned at the ADF reading position RP as compared to thatwhen the reading unit 7 is at a position other than the ADF readingposition RP.

That is, in the present embodiment, the load generation unit 25 includesthe first contacted portions 25A provided in the reading unit 7 and thefirst stoppers 25B provided in the document platen 3. The firstcontacted portions 25A and the first stoppers 25B contact each other, asshown in FIG. 4.

Thus, when the reading unit 7 is positioned at the ADF reading positionRP while the sun gear 15 rotates in the reverse direction to bring thefirst contacted portions 25A and the first stoppers 25B into contactwith each other, the movement of the reading unit 7 is restricted, whichincreases the rotational resistance of the FB side transmission gear 21.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, each the first stoppers 25B(example of a restricting member) of the load generation unit 25 ispositioned at an end position in a range within which the carriage 8 ismovable in a predetermined direction (right-to-left direction) andrestricts the movement of the carriage 8 when the position of theplanetary gear 17 is switched from the FB position to the ADF position.

3. Operation of Drive Power Transmission Mechanism 3-1. FB Reading Mode

When the image reading apparatus 1 is in an inactive state, the readingunit 7 is positioned at the waiting position WP, and the planetary gear17 is positioned at the FB position. When a user pushes the read startkey 11A to start the FB reading, a CPU 20 described later rotates themotor 31 in the normal direction to rotate the sun gear 15 in the normaldirection.

As a result, the reading unit 7 is moved from the waiting position WPtoward the read end position PE. At this time, the planetary gear 17 isapplied with the revolution force directed from the ADF position to theFB position.

However, the second stopper 3H and the second contacted portion 18Acontact with each other, and thus the planetary gear 17 rotates in thenormal direction while staying at the FB position without revolution.

Then, the CPU 20 (see FIG. 6) rotates the motor 31 in the reversedirection when, for example, the number of drive steps of the motor 31reaches a predetermined value to rotate the sun gear 15 in the reversedirection. Further, the CPU 20 stops the motor 31 when the reading unit7 reaches the waiting position WP. As a result, the reading unit 7 ismoved from the read end position RE to the waiting position WP.

While the sun gear 15 rotates in the reverse direction, the planetarygear 17 is applied with the revolution force directed from the FBposition to the ADF position, that is, the revolution force in adirection away from the FB side transmission gear 21. However, the aboverevolution force is canceled by the first spring 16, so that theplanetary gear 17 rotates in the reverse direction while staying at theFB position without revolution.

3-2. ADF Reading Mode

When the image reading apparatus 1 is in an inactive state, the readingunit 7 is positioned at the waiting position WP, and the planetary gear17 is positioned at the FB position. When a user pushes the read startkey 11A to start the ADF reading, the CPU 20 rotates the motor 31 in thereverse direction to rotate the sun gear 15 in the reverse direction.

As a result, the reading unit 7, i.e., the carriage 8, is moved from thewaiting position WP to the ADF reading position RP. Then, when thereading unit 7 reaches the ADF reading position RP to bring the firststoppers 25B and the first contacted portions 25A into contact with eachother, the movement of the reading unit 7 is restricted to increase therotational resistance of the FB side transmission gear 21.

As the rotational resistance of the FB side transmission gear 12increases, the rotation force of the planetary gear 17 is reduced andthe revolution force of the planetary gear 17 to revolve from the FBposition to the ADF position is increased. Then, when the revolutionforce exceeds the first inhibiting force of the first spring 16, theplanetary gear 17 is brought into engagement with the engagement portion19, whereby the planetary gear 17 starts to revolve toward the ADFposition.

When the planetary gear 17 revolves to bring the third stopper 3J andthe third contacted portion 18B into contact with each other, therevolution of the planetary gear 17 is stopped, and then the planetarygear 17 is brought into engagement with the ADF side transmission gear23. Thus, drive power is transmitted to the conveyance unit 44, wherebyconveyance of the document is started.

When the ADF reading is ended, the CPU 20 rotates the motor 31 in thenormal direction. As a result, the planetary gear 17 is applied with therevolution force directed from the ADF position to the FB position.

Then, the revolution force exceeds the second inhibiting force of thefirst spring 16, the planetary gear 17 revolves toward the FB position.When the planetary gear 17 is positioned at the FB position, theplanetary gear 17 is brought into engagement with the FB sidetransmission gear 21, so that the reading unit 7 is moved in thedirection of the arrow A of FIG. 2 from the ADF reading position RP.

4. Electrical Configuration of Image Reading Apparatus

As shown in FIG. 6, the image reading apparatus 1 includes the CPU(example of a control device) 20, a ROM 26, a RAM 27, an NVRAM(Non-Volatile RAM) 28, and a network interface (hereinafter, referred toas “network I/F”) 24. The above components are connected with thereading unit 7, the operation unit 11, the display unit 12, a counter35, the front sensor 47, the rear sensor 48, a cover sensor 49, and amotor drive IC 30. The motor drive IC 30 is connected with the motor 31.

The operation unit 11 receives an instruction inputted by a user such aspower ON/OFF, setting of reading resolution, start of reading operation,or the like.

The network I/F 24 is connected to an external user computer(hereinafter, referred to as “user PC”) through a communication line(not illustrated), allowing data communication to be performed betweenthe image reading apparatus 1 and the user PC through the network I/F24. The reading start instruction can be received from the user PCthrough the network I/F 24.

The ROM 26 stores therein various programs for controlling operation ofthe image reading apparatus 1, and the CPU 20 performs control for eachunit of the image reading apparatus 1 according to a program read fromthe ROM 26 while storing a processing result of the program in the RAM27 or NVRAM 28. For example, the ROM 26 stores therein the number ofsteps for step-driving the motor 31. The NVRAM (example of a storingunit) 28 stores therein data for initializing the reading unit 7 whichis acquired upon execution of acquisition process to be described later.

The motor 31 is a stepping motor. The motor drive IC 30 controls driveof the motor 31 under control of the CPU 20. The counter 35 counts thenumber of steps to control the motor 31. The cover sensor 49 detects anopen state of the document cover 5.

The CPU 20 controls the motor drive IC 30 to control a torque and arotation direction of the motor 31. A motor drive current and a motortorque have a proportional relationship, and thus increasing the drivecurrent causes the motor torque to increase. Alternatively, the motordrive speed and the motor torque have an inverse relationship, and thusreducing the drive speed causes the motor torque to increase.

5. Pre-Reading Process

The following describes examples concerning pre-reading process to beperformed in the image reading apparatus 1 with reference to FIGS. 7 to10. In the present embodiment, the CPU 20 executes the pre-readingprocess according to a program stored in the ROM 26 when, for example, auser sets a document on the document tray 42 and pushes the read startkey 11A to instruct the image reading apparatus 1 to perform readingoperation in the ADF reading mode. After the completion of thepre-reading process, the normal ADF reading of the ADF 40 (readingprocess) is performed.

5-1. Embodiment 1

In the pre-reading process of embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 20controls the motor 31 to rotate in the reverse direction to move thecarriage 8, i.e., the reading unit 7, from the waiting position WPtoward the ADF reading position RP (S105; moving process).

Then, the CPU 20 controls the motor 31 to further rotate in the reversedirection to start a switching process for switching a position of theplanetary gear 17 from the FB position to the ADF position (S110). Inthe switching process, the arms 18 is exerted on a reaction force fromthe FB side transmission gear 21 which is generated by the rotation ofthe planetary gear 17 according to the rotation of the sun gear 15 inthe reverse direction. The reaction force needs to be larger than theinhibiting force of the first spring 16 inhibiting the revolution of theplanetary gear 17. Thus, the motor torque in the switching process ispreviously determined by experiments such that the reaction force fromthe FB side transmission gear 21 is larger than the inhibiting force ofthe first spring 16 inhibiting the revolution of the planetary gear 17.

The reaction force from the FB side transmission gear 21 is caused bythe rotational resistance of the FB side transmission gear 21 due to theload generation unit 25. That is, in this state, the FB sidetransmission gear 21 hardly rotates by the load generation unit 25, sothat the planetary gear 17 receives, upon start of the rotation thereof,the reaction force acting in a direction substantially opposite to adirection of the rotation thereof from the FB side transmission gear 21.

As described above, utilizing the reaction force from the FB sidetransmission gear 21 whose rotation is suppressed to the planetary gear17 in the switching process, the position of the planetary gear 17 canappropriately be switched from the FB position to the ADF positionwithout loss of synchronization of the planetary gear 17 with the motor31.

During the switching process, the CPU 20 determines, based on adetection signal from the rear sensor 48, whether or not the rear sensor48 detects the document and is turned ON (S112). If the rear sensor 48is tuned ON (S112:YES), the CPU 20 controls the motor 31 to stop itsrotation (S116). If the rear sensor 48 detects the document and isturned ON, the document on the document tray 42 may be drawn into theconveyance path 4 and reach the ADF reading position RP because theposition of the planetary gear 17 has been switched to the ADF position.To prevent this, if the rear sensor 48 detects the document during theswitching operation, the CPU 20 controls the motor 31 to stop itsrotation, thereby preventing an acquisition process described later atthe ADF reading position RP from being interrupted by the document.

On the other hand, if the rear sensor 48 does not turned ON (S112:NO),the CPU 20 determines, based on a count value of the counter 35, whetheror not the motor 31 has rotated at a predetermined number SN1 of steps(S114). If the motor 31 has rotated at a predetermined number SN1 ofsteps (S114:YES), the CPU 20 determines that the switching process isended and controls the motor to stop its rotation (S116). Subsequently,the CPU 20 sets a switching process end flag FgA to “1” (S118).

On the other hand, if the motor 31 has not yet rotated a predeterminednumber SN1 of steps (S114:NO), the CPU 20 determines that the switchingoperation is not ended and the routine returns to S112. Thepredetermined number SN1 of steps is previously determined byexperiments and stored in the ROM 26 as the number of steps required tomove the carriage 8 from the waiting position WP to the ADF readingposition RP and to switch the position of the planetary gear 17 from theFB position to the ADF position.

In the present embodiment, the CPU 20 performs, in parallel to theswitching process, the acquisition process for acquiring theinitialization data. That is, the CPU 20 starts the switching process inS110 and, at the same time, controls the light source 7A of the readingunit 7 to emit light toward the white reference board 46A at a positionwhere the reading unit 7 faces the second reading window 3C to acquire,as the initialization data, light amount adjustment data for adjusting alight emission amount of the light source 7A (S120; adjustment dataacquisition process).

More in detail, in the acquisition of the light amount adjustment data,the CPU 20 controls the light source 7A to emit light in a lightemission amount exceeding a reference light receiving amount of thelinear sensor 7C and gradually reduces the light emission amount. Then,the CPU 20 detects, in any one of the light receiving elementsconstituting the linear image sensor 7C, a light emission amount whenthe maximum value of the light receiving amount of light reflected fromthe white reference board 46A reaches the reference light receivingamount and then acquires the detected light emission amount as the lightamount adjustment data.

Subsequently, the CPU 20 controls the light source 7A to emit the lightwhose emission amount has been adjusted by the light amount adjustmentdata toward the white reference board 46A at the position inconfrontation with the second reading window 3C and acquires, asinitialization data, calibration data for correcting read data acquiredthrough the reading process (S122; calibration data acquisitionprocess). The CPU 20 acquires the calibration data for each of the lightreceiving elements constituting the linear image sensor 7C and utilizesthe acquired calibration data for, e.g., shading correction in thereading process.

Subsequently, the CPU 20 determines, based on a detection signal fromthe cover sensor 49, whether or not the document cover 5 is in the openstate during the acquisition of the light amount adjustment data and thecalibration data (S124). If the cover sensor 49 detects the open stateof the document cover 5 (S124:YES), the CPU 20 stops the adjustment dataacquisition process or the calibration data acquisition process, i.e.,acquisition of the light amount adjustment data or the calibration data(S128), and at the same time stops the switching process and controlsthe motor 31 to return the carriage 8 to the waiting position WP,whereby the pre-reading process is once ended. In this case, the displayunit 12 may display information indicating the failure of thepre-reading process as error notification to the user.

In a state where the document cover 5 is opened, adequate acquisitionprocess cannot be performed due to influence of outside light, which mayprevent the acquisition of the initialization data. For this reason, ifthe cover 5 is open, the acquisition process is preferably stopped as inthis Embodiment 1.

On the other hand, if the cover sensor 49 does not detect the open stateof the document cover 5 during the acquisition of the light amountadjustment data and the calibration data (S124:NO), the CPU 20determines that the acquisition process is ended and sets an acquisitionprocess end flag FgB to “1” (S126). If the detection signal of the coversensor 49 indicating the open state is input to the CPU 20 during theacquisition of the light amount adjustment data (S120) or thecalibration data (S122), the CPU 20 halts the acquisition process as aninterrupt process.

Subsequently, the CPU 20 determines whether or not the acquisitionprocess end flag FgB is “1” and the switching process end flag FgA is“1” (S130). If the acquisition process end flag FgB is “1” and theswitching process end flag FgA is “1” (S130:YES), the CPU ends thepre-reading process of this embodiment 1. If at least one of theacquisition process end flag FgB and the switching process end flag FgAare not “1” (S130:NO), the CPU 20 waits until both the flags FgB and FgAbecome “1”.

In the embodiment 1, the moving process of S105 need not necessarily beperformed. For example, if the initial waiting position is the ADFreading position RP, the moving process of S105 may be omitted.

Further, the process of S112 and S124 also need not necessarily beperformed, and at least one of the process may be omitted. That is, oneor both of the process of S112 and S124 may be omitted.

Effect of Embodiment 1

As described above, the acquisition process (S120 and S122) foracquiring the initialization data for initialize the reading unit 7 isexecuted during the switching process (S110) for switching the positionof the planetary gear 17 from the FB position to the ADF position. Byexecuting the acquisition process during the switching process, astart-up time required to start the reading process can be reduced by atime required for the acquisition process, as compared to a case wherethe switching process is performed after the acquisition process isended. That is, in a configuration in which the position of theplanetary gear 17 is switched between the ADF position and the FBposition, a start-up time required to start the reading process can bereduced even if the acquisition process for acquiring the initializationdata is performed.

Further, when the position of the planetary gear 17 is switched from theFB position to the ADF position, the CPU 20 executes the acquisitionprocess with the reading unit 7 positioned at the ADF reading positionRP where the ADF reading is performed and retained by the carriage 8whose movement is restricted by the first stoppers 25B of the loadgeneration unit 25. In this case, the movement of the carriage 8 isrestricted by the first stoppers 25B, so that even if the completion ofthe acquisition process takes a long time, the carriage 8 stays at theADF reading position RP. Thus, the reading unit 7 can reliably executethe acquisition process at the ADF reading position RP.

Further, the second reading window 3C is provided at the ADF readingposition RP so as to face the reading unit 7, and the white referenceboard 46A is provided at the ADF reading position RP so as to face thereading unit 7 through the second reading window 3C. Thus, theacquisition process of the light amount adjustment data and thecalibration data can be executed by using the white reference board 46A.

Further, the moving process in which the carriage 8 moves to the ADFreading position RP is executed before the switching process. Thus, thecarriage 8 is moved to the ADF reading position RP before disengagementbetween the planetary gear 17 and the FB side transmission gear 21 so asto execute the initialization process, thereby executing the ADF readingappropriately without executing the switching process a number of times.

The acquisition process may be executed in parallel not only to theswitching process for switching the position of the planetary gear 17from the FB position to the ADF position, but also to the switchingprocess for switching the position of the planetary gear 17 from the ADFposition to FB position. However, in the case where the position of theplanetary gear 17 is switched from the ADF position to the FB position,the movement of the carriage 8 is not restricted by the first stoppers25B and the drive power from the planetary gear 17 is transmitted to theFB side transmission gear 21 during the acquisition process, which maycause the carriage 8 to move from the ADF reading position RP. Thus, theacquisition process may be affected by noise or prevent the acquisitionprocess from being adequately executed, which may in turn prevent thereading unit 7 from reliably executing the acquisition process at theADF reading position RP. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, theacquisition process is preferably executed in parallel to the switchingprocess that switches the position of the planetary gear 17 from the FBposition to the ADF position.

5-2. Embodiment 2

The following describes embodiment 2 of the pre-reading process withreference to FIGS. 8 and 9. Embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1whether or not dust presence on the ADF reading position RP isdetermined in the acquisition process. Thus, the same step numbers areassigned to the same process as the embodiment 1, and the descriptionsthereof are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the CPU 20 determines if dust is present at the ADFreading position RP before starting the acquisition process in parallelto the switching process (S205). Specifically, the CPU 20 determineswhether or not dust is attached to the second reading window 3C or thewhite reference board 46A in a dust determination process describedlater. If the dust is present at the ADF reading position RP (S205:YES),the CPU 20 reads out from the NVRAM 28 the initialization data acquiredas the light amount adjustment data and the calibration data eachacquired in the previous acquisition process and then utilizes the readinitialization data as current light amount adjustment data and currentcalibration data of this routine (S210).

On the other hand, if the dust is not present at the ADF readingposition RP (S205:NO), the CPU 20 stores in the NVRAM 28 the lightamount adjustment data and the calibration data acquired in theacquisition process of S120 and S122 (S215).

As described above, in the embodiment 2, if the dust is present at theADF reading position RP, the CPU 20 reads out the initialization datastored in the NVRAM 28 instead of the acquisition process of thisroutine.

The dust determination process of S205 for determining whether or notthe dust is attached will be described in detail with reference to FIG.9. That is, the CPU 20 sets a light amount of LEDs of the reading unit 7to a predetermined value (S505) and controls the LEDs to emit lighttoward the white reference board 46A in a predetermined light amount toacquire data of one line (S510). Subsequently, the CPU 20 sets a pixelnumber NI corresponding to the light receiving amount obtained by thelight receiving element to “0” (S515) and determines whether or not anAD value (analog-digital conversion value) of the light receiving amountof an NI-th pixel is less than a TH value (dust determination thresholdvalue) (S520).

If the AD value (analog-digital conversion value) of the light receivingamount of the NI-th pixel is less than the dust determination thresholdvalue (S520:YES), the CPU 20 determines that the dust is attached to thesecond reading window 3C or the white reference board 46A since thelight receiving amount is less than a specified value and sets a dustflag FgC to “1” (S525).

On the other hand, if the AD value of the light receiving amount of theNI-th pixel is not less than the dust determination threshold value(S520:NO), the CPU 20 increments the pixel number NI by a predeterminedamount (S530) and determines whether or not the pixel number NI is morethan the total number of pixels (S535). If the pixel number NI is notmore than the total number of pixels (S535:NO), the CPU 20 returns toS520. If the pixel number NI is more than the total number of pixels(S535:YES), the CPU 20 sets the dust flag FgC to “0” (S540) to end thedust determination process.

Effect of Embodiment 2

If the dust is present at the ADF reading position RP, that is, if thedust is attached to the second reading window 3C or the white referenceboard 46A, error may be included in the initialization data to adverselyaffect the reading process. In order to prevent this, if the presence ofthe dust at the ADF reading position RP is determined, the previousinitialization data stored in a storage unit such as the NVRAM 28 isused as the current initialization data of this routine. This canprevent the reading process from being adversely affected due to thepresence of the dust even if the dust is present at the ADF readingposition RP.

Preferably, at a shipping time of the image reading apparatus 1,predetermined initialization data is previously stored in a storage unitsuch as the NVRAM 28. This allows use of initialization data without aneffect of the dust even if the dust is attached to the second readingwindow 3C or the white reference board 46A immediately after theshipping.

The process of S112 or S124 of embodiment 1 may be executed inembodiment 2.

5-3. Embodiment 3

The following describes embodiment 3 of the pre-reading process withreference to FIG. 10. Embodiment 3 differs from embodiment 1 in that thelight amount adjustment data is acquired at a position facing the whitetape 55A during the movement of the reading unit 7 from the waitingposition WP to the ADF reading position RP. Thus, the same step numbersare assigned to the same process as embodiment 1, and the descriptionsthereof are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 20 controls the light source 7A of thereading unit 7 to emit light toward the white tape 55A at the positionfacing the white tape 55A during the movement of the carriage 8, i.e.,reading unit 7 from the waiting position WR to the ADF reading positionRP (S105), to thereby acquire, as the initialization data, the lightamount adjustment data for adjusting the light emission amount of thelight source 7A (S305; adjustment data acquisition process). Then, theCPU 20 sets an adjustment data end flag FgD to “1” (S310).

Further, during the moving process of the carriage 8, the CPU 20determines, based on the count value of the counter 35, whether or notthe motor 31 has rotated at a predetermined number SN2 of steps (S320).If the motor 31 has rotated at the predetermined number SN2 of steps(S320:YES), the CPU 20 determines whether or not the adjustment dataacquisition end flag FgD is “0” (S322). That is, the CPU 20 determineswhether or not the adjustment data acquisition process is completedbefore the carriage 8 reaches the edge BP of the second reading window3C.

On the other hand, if the motor 31 has not yet rotated at thepredetermined number SN2 of steps (S320:NO), the CPU 20 waits until themotor 31 has rotated at the predetermined number SN2 of steps. Thepredetermined number SN2 of steps is previously determined byexperiments and stored in the ROM 26 as the number of steps required tomove the carriage 8 from the waiting position WP to the edge BP of thesecond reading window 3C.

If the adjustment data end flag FgD is “0” (S322:YES), the CPU 20determines that the adjustment data acquisition process is not endedbefore the carriage 8 reaches the edge BP of the second reading window3C and stops the acquisition process as in S128 (S326). At a time, theCPU 20 also stops the switching process and controls the motor 31 toreturn the carriage 8 to the waiting position WP, whereby thepre-reading process is once ended.

On the other hand, if the adjustment data end flag FgD is not “0”, thatis, if the adjustment data end flag FgD is “1” (S322:NO), the CPU 20controls the motor 31 to further rotate by a predetermined number ofsteps to move the carriage 8 to the ADF reading position RP. Then, theCPU 20 sets an ADF reading position transfer flag FgE to “1” (S324).

Subsequently, the CPU 20 determines whether or not the adjustment dataend flag FgD is “1” and the ADF reading position transfer flag FgE is“1” (S330). If at least one of the adjustment data end flag FgD and ADFreading position transfer flag FgE are not “1” (S330:NO), the CPU 20waits until both the flags FgD and FgE become “1”.

On the other hand, if the adjustment data end flag FgD is “1” and theADF reading position transfer flag FgE is “1” (S330:YES), the CPU 20executes the calibration data acquisition process of S122 in parallel tothe switching process of the position of the planetary gear 17 of S122.Then, if the acquisition process end flag FgB is “1” and switchingprocess end flag FgA is “1” (S130:YES), the CPU ends the pre-readingprocess of this embodiment 3.

Effect of Embodiment 3

In embodiment 3, the adjustment data acquisition process is performed inparallel to the moving process of the carriage 8, thereby advancing astart of the adjustment data acquisition process. As a result, only thecalibration data needs to be acquired during the switching process.Thus, it can be expected that the adjustment data acquisition process isreliably ended before the end of the switching process.

If the carriage 8 passes through the edge BP of the second readingwindow 3C during the adjustment data acquisition process, error may beincluded in the acquired light amount adjustment data to adverselyaffect the reading process. For this reason, if excessive time is takento acquire the light amount adjustment data and the carriage 8 passesover the edge BP of the second reading window 3C before the acquisitionof the light amount adjustment data, the adjustment data acquisitionprocess is preferably stopped as in embodiment 3.

Further, the white tape 55A is provided at the same side as a surface ofthe second reading window 3C that contacts the document, and dust, suchas paper powder, from the document is less likely to be attached to asurface of the white tape 55A than to the surface of the second readingwindow 3C that contacts the document. Thus, the acquisition of the lightamount adjustment data influenced by the dust is performed underadequate environment with the use of the white tape 55A, therebyincreasing a reliability of the initialization data to be acquired basedon the light source 7A whose light emission amount has been adjusted.

The process of S112 or S124 of embodiment 1 may be executed inembodiment 3.

Other Embodiments

While the invention has been described in detail with reference to theembodiments thereof, it would be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, the light amount adjustment data and thecalibration data are acquired as the initialization data forinitializing the reading unit 7. However, the present invention is notlimited to this configuration.

(2) In the above embodiment, the entire acquisition process is executedduring the switching process. However, the present invention is notlimited to this configuration. For example, the scope of the presentinvention includes a configuration that a part of the acquisitionprocess is performed during the switching process.

(3) In the above embodiment, the sun gear 15 and the planetary gear 17in the planetary gear mechanism are used as the motor side transmissiongear and switching gear, respectively. However, the present invention isnot limited to this configuration. A gear of a type other than the sungear 15 may be employed as the motor side transmission gear. Further,another configuration that switches its position between the FB positionthat connects the motor side transmission gear and FB side transmissiongear and ADF position that connects the motor side transmission gear andADF side transmission gear may be used as the switching gear.

(4) In the above embodiment, the CPU 20 is used as an example of acontrol device. However, the present invention is not limited to thisconfiguration. The controller may be constituted by a plurality ofcircuits including an ASIC or may be constituted by the CPU and othercircuits.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image reading apparatus comprising: a platenon which a document is placed; an image reader configured to readdocuments; a carriage configured to support the image reader, thecarriage being movable relative to the platen; a conveyor configured toconvey a document along a conveying path, the image reader beingselectively operable in a first mode responsive to a first instructionin which the document being conveyed along the conveying path is read bythe image reader located at a reading position, and a second moderesponsive to a second instruction in which the document placed on theplaten is read by moving the image reader; a sensor configured to detectthe document having reached a prescribed position in the conveying path,the prescribed position being upstream of the reading position of theimage reader in a direction in which the document is conveyed along theconveying path; a motor configured to rotate in a first direction and asecond direction opposite the first direction to generate a drive power;a motor gear configured to rotate along with the motor; a conveyancegear configured to be operable in the first mode and transmit the drivepower to the conveyor; a carriage gear configured to be operable in thesecond mode and transmit the drive power to the carriage; a switchinggear configured to be selectively placed in a first position where theswitching gear connects the motor gear with the conveyance gear and asecond position where the switching gear connects the motor gear withthe carriage gear; and a controller configured to perform: a firstdocument reading process in which the image reader operates in the firstmode; a second document reading process in which the image readeroperates in the second mode; a pre-reading process to be performedresponsive to the first instruction prior to performing the firstdocument reading process, the pre-reading process comprising: aswitching process in which the switching gear is moved from the secondposition to the first position by rotating the motor in the seconddirection; an adjustment data acquiring process in which adjustment datafor adjusting document data read by the image reader is acquired, theacquisition of the adjustment data being performed concurrently with andduring movements of the switching gear from the second position to thefirst position; and a first determining process to determine that thesensor detects the document; and a terminating process to terminate thepre-reading process responsive to determining that the sensor detectsthe document.
 2. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the pre-reading process further comprises a moving process inwhich the image reader is moved to the reading position prior toperforming the switching process.
 3. The image reading apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the pre-reading process further comprisesa second determining process to measure a number of meshes of theswitching gear when moving from the second position to the firstposition to provide a measured value, and to determine that the measuredvalue has reached to a prescribed value, and wherein the terminatingprocess to terminate the pre-reading process is performed responsive toat least one of determinations made in the first determining process andthe second determining process.
 4. The image reading apparatus accordingto claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to perform amotor stopping process to stop driving the motor responsive to at leastone of determinations made in the first determining process and thesecond determining process during the pre-reading process.
 5. The imagereading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to perform a motor stopping process to stop drivingthe motor responsive to a determination made in the first determiningprocess during performing the pre-reading process.
 6. The image readingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the platen has a first edgeline and a second edge line in opposition to the first edge line betweenwhich the carriage moves; a guide is provided in a position opposite thefirst edge line with the second edge line disposed between the firstedge line and the guide; the guide opposes the reading position in adirection perpendicular to a surface of the platen; the carriage ismovable between a first end and a second end and moves from the firstend to the second end by the driving power supplied from the motor whenthe switching gear is at the second position; and the motor is rotatedin the second direction to move the carriage from a position beneath theplaten to the reading position and also to move the switching gear fromthe second position to the first position.
 7. The image readingapparatus according to claim 6, wherein upon instructing a start of thefirst document reading process responsive to the first instruction, thecontroller instructs the motor to rotate in the second direction tothereby move the carriage to the reading position, and thereafter thecontroller instructs the motor to further rotate in the second directionto thereby move the switching gear from the second position to the firstposition.
 8. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a reference member having a white-color surface opposing theimage reader with the platen intervened therebetween, and wherein theadjustment data acquiring process comprises irradiating light toward thewhite-color surface of the reference member while placing the imagereader at the reading position, and utilizing reference data resultingfrom irradiation of the light toward the white-color surface of thereference member and read by the image reader as the adjustment data. 9.The image reading apparatus according to claim 8, wherein theterminating process terminates the pre-reading process when acquiringthe adjustment data is complete and moving the switching gear from thesecond position to the first position is accomplished.
 10. The imagereading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a positionchanging mechanism that allows the switching gear to move from thesecond position to the first position upon arrival of the carriage atthe reading position.
 11. The image reading apparatus according to claim10, wherein the position changing mechanism comprises: an abutmentportion provided in the carriage and configured to be brought intoabutment with an abutted portion at the reading position, abutment ofthe abutment portion with the abutted portion preventing the carriagefrom moving from the reading position; and a spring configured to exertsuppressing force upon the switching gear to suppress movement of theswitching gear from the second position to the first position, whereinprevention of movements of the carriage by virtue of the abutmentportion weakens the suppressing force exerted by the spring, therebyallowing the switching gear to move from the second position to thefirst position.